Here's how I create silhouette images, like the one used in the Converting an Existing WWG Model tutorial. Again, I don't know if this is the best way, but it gets it done. Tips/tricks/suggestions are always welcome.

I used Photoshop for the tutorial, but the overall workflow process should be similar for The GIMP. The key is selecting the whitespace around the models, then selecting the inverse, to select the models instead of the whitespace.

Last edited by Easy Rhino on 08-22-2009, 12:15 PM, edited 1 time in total.

The only problem with Auto Trace is it creates three times the number of anchors as needed and your not guaranteed the best build from it. Even doing the silhouettes in Photoshop, if you zoom in there will be jagged edges in the design. Correcting an Auto Trace can take twice as long as hand tracing.

However I do have to agree that this is the fastest way of getting the model done.

The only problem with Auto Trace is it creates three times the number of anchors as needed and your not guaranteed the best build from it. Even doing the silhouettes in Photoshop, if you zoom in there will be jagged edges in the design. Correcting an Auto Trace can take twice as long as hand tracing.

I saw where Alexio mentioned in a post that he doesn't use auto-trace anymore, but instead the spline tool and just tack-tack-tack around the model. I tried that with a CoH model and couldn't get the curves to line up very well. I'll have to try it again with something a little simpler. Maybe the CoH models are too advanced to start with.

But yeah, I agree that this method creates a TON of anchor points for the cutting path. I wouldn't even try to adjust the cutting path by hand - if it was off, I would just clean up my silhouette in Photoshop and run it through auto-trace again.

Overall, I get good results from the auto-trace method, but I would agree with you that hand tracing is better if you have the skills.

Not spline--the Line and Polyline tools. Those are easier to work with.

However, Autotrace is perfectly well suited for organic, curvy things like standees, foliage, and whatnot--things that you can't hand-trace within a reasonable amount of time, and which don't suffer for it if the lines are slightly imprecise. They do cut slower and have a lot more anchor points than necessary, but everything's a tradeoff.

For mechanical and architectural models, hand-tracing with the Polyline and Line tools works best.

If I use the autotrace it does add quite a few extra points I noticed, but what I want to know is for the outside shell of the models how much will this matter? Is it putting undue stress on my machine? I mean if I'm still having to draw the score lines and make sure they're straight, will slight variations on the outside cuts matter too much?

I've been trying to 'clean up' the straight auto trace cuts, and it's time consuming. So much so that it has me questioning if it's worth worrying about.

I'm starting to think not, and if it's not that important, I can quickly make my silhouettes for the cuts, and then quickly add the lines for the scores and get going.

The main reason I want to know is I'm trying to setup files for the Mars Station and Platform command series so that I can use them for our club's 40k terrain.

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